said
Washburn, with energy. "It is time to quit fooling with such matters.
If he did not mean to sink the Sylvania for your benefit, he never
meant anything in his life; but he explained it away, and everybody
that knows anything about it, except you and I, believes that the
accident was simply the result of his drunken condition on that
morning. It is time to prove some of these things."

"I have no objection to having them proved."

"I will spend all the time I have on shore in this business; and I
am--What was that?"

The mate suddenly jumped from his chair, and rushed out of the room by
the new door on the port side. I followed him.

"What are you doing at that window?" demanded Washburn, to a man he had
collared near the door of the engine-room, for he had pluck enough to
pick up a water moccasin, if the occasion required.

I could not make out the man in the darkness; and I did not quite
comprehend the reason for his sudden assault on him. All the windows of
our state-room were open, for the evening was warm.

"I wasn't doing anything, Mr. Washburn," pleaded the culprit, in whose
voice I recognized that of Griffin Leeds.

"You were standing under the open window of the captain's room!"
continued the mate, releasing his hold on the waiter when he found he
offered no resistance.

"No, sir; I wasn't standing there," replied Griffin, in a meeching
tone. "I got asleep on the fo'castle after you went in; and I just
waked up. I was just going below to turn in when you came out and got
hold of me. That's the whole of it, sir."

"If I ever catch you under an open window again, I will throw you
overboard. We don't have anything of that kind on board of this
steamer," said the mate, in a very decided tone.

Griffin went below to his quarters under the forecastle, and Washburn
followed me into the room. I thought he was a little rough on the new
waiter, who had given excellent satisfaction in the forward cabin. I
said as much as this to the mate.

"The rascal was listening under that window to the talk between you and
me," replied Washburn. "If you agree to have that thing done on board,
you are the captain, and I have nothing more to say about it."

"If you are satisfied that he was listening to us, you did just right.
But I move to amend by substituting his discharge for throwing him
overboard," I replied, laughing. "Do you think the fellow heard what we
were saying?"

"I have no doubt of it: he had been t